The US government provides
an unlimited number of visas for managers and executives (called L-1 visas)
transferring from the foreign branch or subsidiary of a company to a U.S. branch. Large
multinational companies may apply for a blanket L-1 visa to expedite the
processing of large numbers of employees,

L-1 Visa Quota:noneLength of L-1
Visa: 3 yearsL-1 Visa
Extensions:2 years at a time, up to a total of 7 years (5 years for an L-1B visa) L-1 Visa Application Processing Times: Normally
30-90 days. For faster processing, a company may apply for Premium
Processing Service, which speeds up USCIS response time to within
fifteen (15) days of receipt of a petition, application or other
documents.

In order to qualify for an
L-1 visa you must:

(1) be a manager or executive, or person with specialized knowledge,
who has been employed by the company continuously for at least one of the past
three years.

(2) show that your non-U.S. employer is a currently operating branch,
subsidiary, affiliate, or joint venture partner of the U.S. company to which you are
transferring.

The two types of L-1 visas are:

(1) L-1 A visa - for foreign managers and
executives transferring to the US to manage a company or a major function or
division of a company; to supervise employees or manage an essential department
of a company

(2) L-1B visa - for foreign employees with specialized knowledge
of the company's products, research methods or marketing methods, which are
important to the company's competitiveness

What is the difference between an L-1 A and an L-1B visa?

L-1A visas confer certain advantages that L-1B visas do not:

(1) Less paperwork: The petitioning company of an L-1B applicant must apply
for a Labor Certification for the applicant in addition to the petition and
application. L-1A applicants are not required to do so.

(2) More time: L-1A visa holders may extend their visas up to 7 years; L-1B visa
holders may extend up to 5 years. Also, L-1A visa holders whose 7-year limit
has been reached may re-enter the US for another full term as an L-1
holder after a one-year period of absence from the US.

L-1 visa applications involve two steps:

(1) the applicant's employer must file a petition with the
USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). (A multinational
company that regularly transfers many employees may apply for a blanket L-1
visa order to bypass the petition process.)

(2) Once the petition is approved, the L-1 visa application
can be filed by the applicant.

*For L-1B applicants, the petitioning employer must also apply for
a Labor Certification

Visas for accompanying
relativesDependent relatives (spouses or children under 21) of L-1 visa
holders are eligible for L-2 visas. They may live and work in the U.S. In order to work, dependent relatives should apply for a
Employment Authorization (EAD).

Accompanying Relative:The spouse or child under
the age of 21 of the holder of an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, who is
accompanying them to the US

Labor Certification

The
first step in receiving an employment-based immigrant visa for certain classes
of workers. The potential US employer must first undergo an
elaborate and often lengthy process of advertising the position, based on
specific instructions from the US Department of Labor, to ensure that no
qualified American workers are available to perform the job before hiring the
foreign worker.

Blanket L-1 Visa:

Large multinational
companies that regularly transfer employees to U.S. branches or affiliates may
apply for blanket L-1 status to expedite the visa process by bypassing the
petition stage.

Requirements:

The
US company must:

be a branch, subsidiary or
affiliate of the non-US company.

have been in business for
at least one year

have a minimum of three
branches, subsidiaries or affiliates

Both
the US company and the non-US company
must:

be engaged in trade or
rendering of services

have successfully obtained
visas for at least ten employees over the past 12 months

have combined annual sales
of at least $25 milllion OR at least 1,000 US-based employees